Doc. 9440

7 May 2002

Improprieties in the structure for monitoring human rights violations in the Chechen Republic

Motion for a resolution

presented by Mr Landsbergis and others

As human rights issues are among the most important ones for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, it is a common and urgent necessity to have the proper structures for monitoring certain conditions and situations in member states.

One such state is the Russian Federation which is still undergoing a monitoring procedure, from which all the issues concerning human rights violations in the Chechen Republic were excluded. They are transferred for investigation and valuation to the Joint Working Group (JWG) in which, because of the principle of consensus, the Russian delegation practically has a right to veto any drafted document. In this way independent monitoring is replaced by a special procedure, which is rather unfair, in that one privileged member state of the Council of Europe passes judgment on itself.

Such a situation does not correspond with the main tasks of the Council of Europe which is concerned about the rule of law, democracy and respect of human rights everywhere. If, in turn, the JWG is not for monitoring, then the lack of this kind of observation is an irrational deficiency. A special and separate monitoring procedure for the Chechen Republic could be justified only by treatment of the latter as a future associate with the Council of Europe.

Therefore, the Assembly calls for special human rights issues in the Chechen Republic to be restored to the remit of the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe and calls on the Committee of Ministers to reconsider the general issue of halting the Chechen War II by more efficient means than the JWG.

Signed (see overleaf)

Signed : ¹

Landsbergis, Lithuania, EDG

Abbasov, Azerbaijan, EDG

Akçali, Turkey, EDG

Akgönenç, Turkey, EDG

Aliyev G, Azerbaijan, EDG

Andican, Turkey, EDG

Bársony, Hungary, SOC

Cerrahoğlu, Turkey, EDG

Chapman, United Kingdom, EDG

Dobelis, Latvia, EDG

Holovaty, Ukraine, LDR

Hooper, United Kingdom, EDG

Kalkan, Turkey, EDG

Klaar, Estonia, NR

Knight, United Kingdom, EDG

Libane, Latvia, LDR

Mutman, Turkey, SOC

Olekas, Lithuania, SOC

Olteanu, Romania, SOC

Telek, Turkey, EDG

Vahtre, Estonia, EPP

Van den Brande, Belgium, EPP

Voog, Estonia, LDR

Wilkinson, United Kingdom, EDG

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group